No Ordinary Bloke by Mary Whitney Read Free Book Online Page A

going to our separate hotels. I knew that if I wanted to see her again tomorrow, I couldn’t lay it on thick tonight.
    “But do come out gambling with us tomorrow,” I said, as she got out of the taxi.
    “Sure. I think I can.” Her smile bloomed as she closed the cab door. I watched as she greeted the bellboy. Maybe she was happy that I was making everything so platonic between us. Little did she know.

L ewis Chan was the most likable of blokes, or maybe it was simply because he was a fellow Liverpool fan that I enjoyed spending time with him. Born in Hong Kong, he went to school in the UK and now lived in Singapore, buying and selling companies. He was always fair in his dealings and never a wanker if things didn’t go his way. Even if I wasn’t working a deal with him, I met with him and his guys, Zhan and Joseph, because we could trade information and talk sports or gamble.
    Before we were to meet that night, I rang him up so I could prep him. At first he was worried that I was cancelling our meeting, so I reassured him that we were still on for that night. Then I told him the real purpose of the call, “I just wanted to let you know that I may have a friend with me.”
    “I like your friends. Bring her along.”
    “It’s actually a lady friend of—”
    A deep, throaty laugh roared through the line. “A lady friend?” Lewis asked in a perfect English accent. “You have a lot of those kinds of friends. Which one is this?”
    “No, you don’t understand. She really is a friend.”
    “Oh.” He sounded intrigued. “All right. What’s her name?”
    “Allison Wright. She actually works at Greystone.”
    “At Greystone? I don’t know her.”
    “You may know her boyfriend, Trey Chabot.”
    “Trey! Yes, I know Trey. Interesting guy.” He voice changed abruptly. “So how old is she? Trey’s getting up there.”
    “I’d say she’s in her mid-thirties.”
    “Lucky Trey.”
    “Yes,” I said, disgruntled at the thought. “He’s a lucky bastard.”

    Later that night, I paced near the front of the casino where I’d told Allison to meet me. I began to worry that maybe she’d decided against the evening as the minutes ticked past our agreed upon meeting time. I jingled the poker chips in my pocket when I heard her voice from behind.
    “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
    I turned, and no doubt, the stupid grin of an infatuated teenage guy crossed my face. My redhead beauty was in a green dress that wasn’t revealing at all, but showed enough neckline to rouse my imagination. I couldn’t help but think she wore the dress for me. “You’re never allowed to apologize for being late, and I’ll encourage you being tardy when you show up looking like this. You’re stunning tonight, love.”
    She glanced down at her dress. “Thanks. I actually went out and got it. I wasn’t sure how fancy a casino in Asia would be. I think I’ve seen too many James Bond movies.”
    “Not so posh.” I looked around the room. “Lots of American and German retirees in shorts and trainers violating the dress code.”
    “And they let them in because they have money?”
    “Exactly.”
    “Yet you wore a suit,” she said approvingly.
    I tugged at the cuffs of my dark dress suit. “You need to be prepared to be lucky.”
    She gave me her dazzling smile. “With that accent…the suit…in a place like this, you do seem sort of Bond-like. You even look like a younger Daniel Craig.”
    A compliment such as that was a promising sign. I grazed her bare arm with my fingertips for the briefest moment. “Well gorgeous, that makes you my Bond girl then.”
    Her eyes had drifted down to where I had just touched her, and she raised them again, looking a bit surprised. “Oh, I don’t think so. I doubt I’ll bring you any luck.”
    “Don’t matter at all. A Bond girl may be beautiful, but she’s not necessarily good luck. Half of them are communist spies out to shoot his knob off.”
    She patted her handbag. “Now